The Thai soccer teammates stranded more than a week in a partly flooded cave said they were healthy on a video released Wednesday, as heavy rains forecast for later this week could complicate plans to safely extract them.
The 12 boys and their coach are seen sitting with Thai navy SEALs in the dark cave with their visibly skinny faces illuminated by the beam of a flashlight. The boys, many wrapped in foil warming blankets, take turns introducing themselves, folding their hands together in a traditional greeting and saying their names and that they are healthy.
The video lasting about a minute was recorded sometime Tuesday and was posted on the navy SEAL Facebook page Wednesday morning.
The boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach disappeared after they went exploring in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in northern Chiang Rai province after a soccer game June 23. The teammates, who were trapped inside when heavy rains flooded the cave, were found by rescue divers late Monday night during a desperate search that drew assistance from experts around the globe.
Video shows them in good spirits
Authorities said the boys, who had also been shown Tuesday in a video shot by the British diver who discovered them, were being looked after by seven members of the Thai navy SEALs, including medics, who were staying with them inside the cave. They were mostly in stable condition and have received high-protein drinks.
In both of the videos the boys have appeared in good spirits.
SEAL commander Rear Adm. Arpakorn Yookongkaew said there was no rush to bring the group out of the cave, since they’re safe where they are. The current flooding situation means the boys would have to dive, which rescue experts have said could be extremely dangerous.
While efforts to pump out floodwaters are continuing, some Thai officials have indicated that heavy rains forecast for this weekend could force them to decide the boys should swim and dive out using the same complicated route through which their rescuers entered.
Latest reports on the rescue efforts:
The Thai official overseeing the rescue operation of a soccer team trapped in a flooded cave says the boys and their coach may not all be extracted at the same time depending on their health. Chiang Rai provincial Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn said Wednesday that "all 13 may not come out at the same time. If the condition is right and if that person is ready 100 percent, he can come out."
Authorities are still determining the best way to get the team out of the cave, options that include diving. Thai authorities are working to with navy SEALs to run a fiber optic internet line into a flooded cave in northern Thailand where 12 young soccer players and their coach are trapped. Communication technician Phoowanart Keawdum said Wednesday that once the cable is installed, phone calls to the cave will be possible. Thailand's navy is continuing to release videos of the young soccer players trapped in a flooded cave in northern Thailand.
